Anas Says Electability of Democrats Hinges on Yudhoyono

Anas Urbaningrum, the chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, said on Monday that the party’s electability hinged on better performance from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Anas said a number of recent surveys showed the party’s declining popularity. He said the surveys will be used as input for evaluation, but also noted that they were not elections results.

“The way [to ensure the party’s electability] is by making sure that the government of President SBY, who is also the head of the Democratic Party’s advisory board, continues to work and improve the people’s satisfaction level,” Anas said.

He said the public’s satisfaction with the government’s performance was key to the success of the ruling party.

He also said that party cadres should focus on working for the benefit of the people and continue to safeguard internal solidarity as a base for better work.

The performance of party cadres, he said, should also improve ahead of local elections. The more party cadres win in regional elections, the stronger the party’s political base will be in the region.

“Therefore, if survey results show weakening, we should work harder. Surveys are important; political works and other works that are beneficial to society are even more important. There is still time and opportunity to further raise the Democratic Party’s electability,” Anas said.

While Anas said the popularity decline was dependent on the president, Yudhoyono earlier accused some members of the party allegedly involved in corruption cases as the ones responsible for the party’s decline in popularity.

He requested those who could not commit to clean politics step down.

Anas is allegedly involved in the graft-ridden athlete’s village scandal and the Hambalang sports complex construction project.

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